The history behind this streamlined approach stretchs back several years. Enhancements were called for by multiple entities and reports, most notably the 2010 National HIV/AIDS Strategy and earlier efforts like the Institute of Medicine's Monitoring HIV Care in the United States: Indicators and Data Systems. Multiple national consultations and other reviews identified variable HIV/AIDS measures in use by federal agencies, which were subsequently streamlined within a package of seven core HIV indicators:

HIV positivity

Late HIV diagnosis

Linkage to HIV medical care

Retention in HIV medical care

ART among people in HIV medical care

Viral load suppress among people in HIV medical care

Housing status

The process for development of these new measures is reviewed in Measuring What Matters: Development of Standard HIV Core Indicators Across the U.S. (Public Health Reports, available to subscribers only).